


It's Time to Bring This Ship into The Shore

by MistysGatorTeeth



Series: The Misadventures of Harrington and Buckley [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, Making Out, Male-Female Friendship, Period-Typical Homophobia, Prom, Robin gets the girl, Romantic Comedy, Slow Dancing, Swearing, Wingman Steve Harrington
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24448126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistysGatorTeeth/pseuds/MistysGatorTeeth
Summary: Robin hated the Snow Ball. Despised it, actually. So, she's surprised as anyone when she's roped into attending her senior year's formal with none other than Steve Harrington and his gaggle of lost ducklings.Oh, the things you do for unrequited love.
Relationships: Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley/Tammy Thompson
Series: The Misadventures of Harrington and Buckley [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765666
Comments: 3
Kudos: 77





	1. Family Video Fight

**Author's Note:**

> I needed a prom fic and I made it happen is what I did.

Hawkins High has its  _ own  _ Snow Ball - it happens about a week before the middle school’s version and it is  _ very  _ well known all the decorations are reused. But hey, that’s got to be good for the environment, right? So when the banner goes up in the band room, Robin sighs. Her senior year Snow Ball, and she can’t wait for it to be over _.  _ The frosty colored balloons everywhere, the dance floor humping being practiced in front of her locker, and seeing Tammy Thompson accept an invitation to the formal with none other than George Sandusky.  _ Ugh.  _ It’s all disgusting, and overdone. The Snow Ball is just another thing that makes Hawkins feel like the middle of nowhere, USA. 

Robin Buckley  _ hates  _ the Snow Ball. 

“You don’t want to go?” Steve throws the blue ball in his hand up and down, leaning back against the rental counter of  _ Family Video  _ catching the object even if the flickering lights above the pair must be blinding to him. It’s cold out, and Robin pulls the sleeves of her black sweater down over her hands as she tilts her head with a shocked expression painted across her features. 

“Don’t be such a  _ numbnuts,  _ Harrington.” Robin scoffs, and the hair falling down from the messy bun on top of her head tickles the back of her neck. Her freckles fade from missing the summer sun, but they still are there when she scrunches her nose up at the question. “A dance full of teenagers grinding on each other and spiked punch that tastes like watered down cherry cough syrup,  _ please,  _ I think I’ll live.”

“Yeah like you wouldn’t be  _ all  _ up in Tammy’s business like-” He thrust his hips up from the floor, biting his lip with a spark of mocking fun in his eyes until Robin kicks him in the ribs. Effectively ending his lewd gestures and putting him into a groan filled fetal position. “Ow.” He mumbles from his place by her feet. “Not cool.” 

“You’re  _ gross.”  _ Robin pulls the blue scrunchie out of her hair, letting it spill down as a vain attempt to hide her blush at the teasing. “Literally, I could puke. You seem to have that effect on people.” 

“I didn’t hear Mackenzie C. puking last Saturday.” He bites back, relaxing on the dirty floor like that’s  _ normal.  _ Weirdo. 

“I didn’t hear her at all, are we sure she’s even real?” Robin lifts her hands and motions around them. “We work in the only video store in the county and yet - I can’t believe it - there is not a  _ single  _ Mackenzie C. registered here.” 

“She uses her brother’s card!” 

“If that helps you sleep at night, or whatever you do at night,” Robin again, makes a disgusted face down at him on the floor. Nudging him in the side with her shoe, she finishes, “Yeah, we’ll say she uses her  _ brother’s card.”  _

“Take the air quotes back, Buckley.” Steve warns, referring to the hand signals accompanying the end of her sentence. He starts to stand, and the lights reflect in his narrowed eyes as he glares up playfully at his best friend. “You’re asking for it.” 

Smug smirk on her lips, Robin taunts back. “Asking for what? Proof?” Her eyebrow raises, her tongue clicks against the inside of her cheek and she knows exactly what she’s provoking with a, “There  _ isn’t  _ any.” 

So that’s how Tammy  _ fucking  _ Thompson finds walks in on Robin stuck in a headlock at the hands of a furious Steve Harrington - a copy of  _ Caddyshack  _ knocked off the counter and rolling toward her in a slow and neverending slide on the ground. Her mouth pops open almost to the point the bubblegum scenting her breath sugary falls out. The pink of her button-up is nearly reflective in the harsh Family Video lights, and it blinds Robin for a second before she realizes  _ who  _ is looking at her like she’s insane. 

_ Oh my god,  _ Robin freezes. Steve doesn’t though, continuing to yell and attempt to reach her ears to stick wet fingers in. “Knock it off!” Robin rushes out in a nervous whisper. Steve doesn’t hear her, continuing to happily fight her hands off his own until a knee comes up right between his legs. It’s not too hard he can’t have any children, but he still wheezing out a long breath as Robin tries to rearrange her hair to say - 

“Hi!” 

_ That  _ wasn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to her, sure. 

“Hello.” Tammy’s voice is measured and slow, and she looks much like a deer in headlights standing there. “...I was just wondering if  _ Crocodile Dundee  _ is in yet?” 

“YES!” Robin replies just a  _ little  _ too excitedly. Her eyes widening at her own stupidity. “I mean,” her elbow leans against the corner of the rental counter at an attempt to regain some of her cool composure, “Yeah, yeah, totally.” 

Tammy seems to want to gloss over the hustle of action she walked into as much as Robin wants to pull a  _ Back to the Future  _ and fix her humiliation. “Thank  _ god,”  _ Tammy lets out a breathy  _ beautiful  _ laugh that makes Robin’s palms sweat. “My brother’s been nagging me nonstop to see it.” 

“Yeah, yeah,”  _ Stop repeating yourself, dumbass!  _ “You said that last time so I um- I put it on the side when it came in. For you, I mean. I put in on the side for you.” Robin chances a look at Steve. He gives her a thumbs up low enough that it’s under the counter and Tammy can’t see. Cheeto dust clings to the thumb. Where did he get Cheetos? 

Her eyes are so blue and  _ pretty  _ and kind and Robin’s hand shakes as she reaches under the counter to fish around of said VHS. “Thank you.” The sincere tone of her voice is enough to make her stomach flip. Tammy takes the tape and their fingers touch on top of the case. “You’re a lifesaver really, Rob.” 

_ Rob? Rob, Rob?  _

Steve’s practically  _ buzzing  _ with excitement next to her. “Don’t worry about it. Any time you want to see something tell me, I’m your girl.” Robin fumbles, “Like, your movie girl. Movies.” 

“Movies.” Steve repeats with a great nod and crunch of his snack. 

“That’s pretty cool, I’ll keep that in mind.” Tammy gives her this  _ look.  _ Her eyeshadow a nice pastel pink that makes her outfit well. Robin swallows hard and curls her toes in her shoes for something to focus on other than the butterflies in her gut. “Maybe I’ll ask you for some suggestions at the Snow Ball this weekend?” 

The  _ Snow Ball.  _

“She’s not going-” Steve starts. 

A grunt sounds from Steve again, and his cheeks puff out as Robin throws a fist into his side. “-not going with anyone from our grade. I’m going with Steve. I’ll be there.” 

“Good!” Tammy actually  _ smiles  _ so brightly it makes the lights above them feel dim. “I was looking forward to dancing with you.”  _ Don’t throw up, Robin.  _ “See you there, okay?” 

“Yep!” She squeaks out. “See you there!” She waves, a little too excitedly, as Tammy turns to the door and walks right out with Crocodile Dundee unscanned. 

“I thought you didn’t  _ want  _ to go to the Snow Ball?” Harrington speaks after a moment. When Robin finally properly looks at him, he’s got a shit-eating grin across his face. The counter is cold on her arms as she leans against it - head in her hands and heart in her throat.  _ Dancing with Tammy Thompson.  _ She’s so fucked. 

“Shut up, dingus.”


	2. Dancing on the Ceiling

Her mother’s hands pull at Robin’s sleeves; puffing out the sheer deep scarlet red material as she forces her daughter to do another twirl in the mirror. Robin scowls - deeply - and shuffles her feet in a sort of dragging circle to appease her mom. The dress ends right under her knees in a  _ horrible  _ tickle of satin against her upper calves. She shouldn’t have said anything to her mother about going to the Snow Ball, should have written off the night as  _ actually I have work  _ and right now she’d be able to dress normally and not a  _ JCPenney’s  _ catalog middle fold. That’s not even the worst part, Robin bitterly remembers. It’s  _ worse  _ that her mother thinks - 

“So  _ Steve.”  _ Comes Mrs. Buckley’s voice as she starts tugging Robin’s hair out of the stack of curlers that it’d been forced into earlier in the day. God, not this again. “You did tell him the color of your dress right?” Her mother narrows her eyes at Robin in the mirror, obviously not trusting her daughter. “I want to make sure you both match for the photos.” 

“ _ No  _ photos.” Robin protests, tilting her head away from her mother’s hands rebelliously. 

“No way,” Her mother  _ smiles.  _ God, how long has it been since she smiled at her like that? Part of her wants to lean into the long-missed affection and the other half wants to lock her bedroom door and sneak out the window until Hopper comes looking for her after a concerned call from the Buckley residence. “Aunt Carol will absolutely  _ love  _ them and - You remember your cousin Susan - ugh, her dress was just  _ horrid.”  _ Robin’s mother bites her lip, thinking about what she’s going to say. “I always told them you’re just a late bloomer, you know?  _ Finally,  _ they’ll all see how I see you. Beautiful!” 

_ Normal.  _ Robin frowns. 

“Susan’s wedding is this spring too, maybe you can show off your  _ friend  _ up close after they get a good look at him in the pictures.” Her mom winks. It makes her just a  _ little  _ green in the face at the idea of her extended family gossiping about her new  _ love interest.  _ Gag. The giant white bow holding up her hair is blinding in the lamplight of her room. 

“You’re going to have so much fun, honey.” 

..

  
  


“Jesus, Buckley. What happened to you?” Steve rips into her as soon as she runs out to the car. Her mother yells from the doorway holding a bulky camera and waving her hand in the air panicked. Robin’s hand grapples to pull the door shut behind her as quickly as possible. The sweet smell of flowers fills the car’s cabin. “Is that perfume?” 

“Drive!” Robin yells. Her hands turn into fists and tighten in the material of her dress skirt. Steve’s too shocked at the pure comedy of her new look to step on the gas, and his friend’s acidic bark, “Before she literally  _ slashes  _ your tires so she can rope us into a three-hour photoshoot...  _ drive,  _ dingus.” 

The sounds of rubber peeling on the road leaves Mrs. Buckley in the dust behind them as she attempts to run after the car. “Well.” Harrington taps his fingers on the wheel in a little fan of movement as they roll past a stop sign down the block. “She seemed excited.” 

“I’m pretty sure she’s  _ manic  _ at this point.” Robin comments. Her fingers pull at the ribbon in her hair until it falls down and again brushes against the back of her neck. The ribbon finds itself thrown in the backseat. Steve watches her out the corner of his eye, his right hand fishing around in between them until he finds what he’s looking for. Without making eye contact, he offers it to Robin.

She takes it, shaking out her hair. The laugh bubbles up in her throat and puffs from between her lips. “Farra  _ Fawcett-”  _

“The ladies love it, okay? Just put it in, trust me.” Steve defends. Not looking away from the road - well, not looking away until Robin actually  _ flips  _ her skirt up in the passenger seat and nearly  _ blinds  _ him with the fabric. “Hey-” He pushes the material away from his side of the car, “ _ Hey.  _ Stop flashing the car in front of us!” 

Robin smooths her dress down; hands pushing down on her thighs and letting the red sneakers she’d pulled out from under there sit in her lap. Sure - they’re dirty on the bottoms. Her mom’s going to kill her for that stain, too. “What?” She snaps when he rolls his eyes. “I’m  _ not  _ dancing in heels.” Said heels, kicked off and again ending up in the backseat of Harrington’s car. 

“Ow!” from the rear seats makes Robin startle in her seat, head hitting the ceiling of the car and a yelp of surprise leaving her mouth. Turning to see behind her, Robin rolls her eyes at the image of Dustin dressed up and holding one of her shoes in his hand, and flowers in the other. He clears his throat, and without further silence, he holds them out as an offering. “For the lady.” 

Robin groans. 

..

“This is quite possibly the  _ stupidest  _ idea we’ve ever had.” Robin leans on her hand, elbow on the table, and bunching up the expensive cloth covering the surface. Steve shovels some type of toasted, sugared nuts into his mouth next to her. On the dance floor, a few people dance to  _ dancing on the ceiling,  _ including Steve’s group of children. There are too many people here - too many people shooting her odd looks and whispering to their own dates about it. Robin sips her punch.  _ Cherry cough syrup.  _ A sour look crosses her face. 

“Do you see her?” Steve asks around a mouthful of food. 

“Remember when you asked me literally a  _ minute  _ ago?” Harrington nods, and at that, she asks him in a monotone, “That answer hasn’t changed, so  _ no.”  _

“Oh.” Steve hums a little sound, his mouth set in a firm line of thought. The sound of his shoe on the ground is almost irritating to Robin as he taps along to the music.  _ This whole night is going to be a waste.  _ It’s a good hour and a half into the dance and there’s not a single sign of Tammy in the gym. Her sulking sucks her into her own head too much; her eyes dart to her own arm when there’s a sudden and unexpected grip on it. 

She follows the arm up, sees the little red rose pinned to his jacket pocket and relaxes because of course, it’s just  _ Steve.  _

“Come on. Up and at ‘em, Buckley.” He urges, a sort of determination on his features. He glances around again scanning the sea of students. At her confused look, he elaborates, “Sitting her pouting does  _ not  _ make you look fun.” He tips his head to the side like a know-it-all, “This look,” He refers to her radiating foul mood, “Does  _ not  _ work for you, Rob.” 

_ Oh what a feeling,  _ Lionel Richie sings as they walk out into the sea of sweaty bodies,  _ when we’re dancing on the ceiling.  _ The music feels louder as they emerge onto the dance floor, beats vibrating the ground, and people bumping into them with smiles and breath that smells suspiciously  _ not  _ fruity. Harrington turns her toward him. He’s got a sort expression on his face as he pokes her in the shoulder. “Is there an on button to this thing?” He pushes his finger tip into her arm again, a few different places. “‘Cause I can’t find it, anywhere.” His hand comes compromisingly close to her underarm and a short and suppressed giggle exhales out of Robin along with a poorly concealed smile. “Seriously, Rob, I’m  _ concerned.  _ It’s nowhere, like nowhere, to be found.” 

“You’re a jackass.” Buckley deadpans with absolutely no heart behind the loving insult. Her arms swing at her sides just a bit, mostly because this  _ is  _ a good song, and he’s mildly right even if she’ll never admit it. 

“But I’m  _ your  _ jackass.” He corrects her. Steve moves his hips and raises his arms a bit to snap them right at eye level along with the beat. He flashes her a smile. “So are you going to sulk about a girl all night, or are you going to give your jackass one night of poor dancing and judging other people’s poor dancing, too?” 

So  _ that’s  _ how the next time Tammy Thompson walks upon them this time. Not fighting in  _ Family Video,  _ but instead Steve twirling her to  _ Conga.  _ Her mouth open in a loud and unrestrained laugh as her feet almost trip each other.  _ “Come on, shake your body, do the con-ga. You know you can’t control yourself any longer.”  _ Harrington sings along to the music, catching her as she falls back into another spin. He spots Tammy before her - she can see it in his eyes and she feels it in the redirect of her next spin. She lets go of his hand and feels herself knock into the form of her  _ years-long _ crush. 

“Tammy.” She breathes out in place of a proper greeting, but adds on a breathy, “Hi.” 

“Hi, Robin.” Tammy smiles at her again.  _ I’ve never going to forget how she says my name.  _ It’s odd, living in the moment you know you’ll remember forever. The feeling of Tammy’s hand holding her own to keep her from spinning past her. Her perfume doesn’t smell like flowers, like Robin’s, instead, it’s a light vanilla fragrance. It’s sweet. Like her. “You look beautiful.” 

_ Beautiful.  _ Robin’s heart jumps. “You do too. I mean, you look beautiful.” Robin makes sure to repeat it back to her because it’s the  _ only  _ word she can think comes close to describing the baby blue of Tammy’s dress and the way her blonde hair curls down from it’s pinned updo and around her ears. Her bangs are side-swept, and she has the prettiest pink lip gloss on. She wants so badly to ask,  _ do you want to dance with me?  _ But her tongue tangles in her mouth like a knot. Instead it tumbles out, “Where’s George?” 

Tammy’s features soften in a sad way. “He didn’t pick me up. I guess his first choice came through, huh?”

_ Who would think of standing you up?  _ Robin feels her own cheerful mood fall at the idea of Tammy waiting on her doorstep for a missing date. It melts her heart and without thinking she grips Tammy’s hand a bit tighter. “It’s okay.” Robin reassures, “Boys are dumb.”  _ Ha.  _ If only the other girl how much Robin takes  _ that  _ idea to heart. 

“Hey Tammy!” 

“Case and point.” Robin gestures to Harrington’s poor attempt to  _ cooly  _ join their interaction. She does her best not to roll her eyes at Steve’s finger guns. 

“Hi Steve.” Tammy greets him with a little smile and wave. _ I want to know what love is starts _ up in a slow beat,  _ Foreigner  _ serenading a gym full of teenagers. “Oh,” Tammy sounds a bit sad, again. “I guess you guys want to dance.” She starts to take a step back and stops only by the tug on her arm from Robin. “I can go-” 

“I’m a bit thirsty!” Steve nearly  _ shouts,  _ it makes Tammy jump in her shoes and eyes widen. “Thirsty. Yeah, totally.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and tilts his head toward the punch stand. “I’m going to shake up some action at the refreshments table,” He says it all so  _ weird  _ with this odd look at Robin that she doesn’t understand. “Tammy, if you could dance with this  _ lovely  _ girl while I quench my thirst, please.” 

_ Dingus.  _ Robin blushes hard, feeling Tammy next to her as Steve darts through people and away from them. The bodies go back in place, sealing them off from Harrington and stuck in the middle of the dance floor. Couples pair up and start to sway to the song. 

_ In my life there’s been heartache and pain, I don’t know if I can face it again.  _

_ Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far, to change this lonely life.  _

Tammy glances at her. Really  _ looks  _ at her and Robin kicks herself into action. “I’ll lead.” Her hands shake a little as they go to Tammy’s waist, the soft fabric of her dress and the warmth of her body under it.  _ Oh my god.  _ Their feet bump a little as they take small steps together. Robin flickers her eyes down between them to keep her toes from crushing Tammy’s nervously. Also, there’s the fact they’re so close and she doesn’t exactly know where to look without panicking. 

“So Steve Harrington, huh?” 

Robin seriously  _ loves  _ Tammy Thompson but cannot help but despise her choice of topic during this life changing moment. “Steve? What about Steve?” 

“You guys - together.” Tammy explains and she actually  _ bites  _ her bottom lip in between her teeth. “It’s cute. You were always staring at him in Click’s class. First period, remember?”

_ Click’s class.  _ Robin’s heart feels like it sinks in her chest all the way down to her belly. Her face must go through a range of emotions as they pass through her. Shock, panic, a lot of confusion. Without even thinking it through, she spouts out, “I wasn’t staring at Steve.” Tammy narrows her eyes a little, like she’s a little taken back by the revelation.  _ Wait,  _ Robin’s throat dries.  _ How would she know who I was looking at?  _

“So you don’t have a crush on your  _ boyfriend?”  _ Tammy asks, bluntly. 

“He’s my best friend, not my boyfriend.” Robin corrects her. “And no, I actually unlike every other girl in our grade,  _ did not  _ have a crush on Harrington. Shocking, I know.” 

“Neither did I.” Tammy announces. They’re not really swaying anymore, just sort of talking under the music; too invested in each other to focus on moving. “I just - I had a crush on someone else, not Steve.”

“Me too.” Robin mumbles.  _ Is she going too far?  _ How  _ far  _ is too far off the ledge. Can she reel back everything she’s said? Tammy is the one, actually, that leaps off the edge. Maybe it’s because Robin’s not very popular - she doesn’t really have anyone to tell even if she wanted to. She’s a band nerd, nobody would believe her. Hell, Robin’s sure she doesn’t believe her own  _ ears.  _

“She just didn’t seem to like me back.” 

That’s how Robin has her first kiss in the girl’s locker room - her fingers holding onto the wood of the bench they both sit on. One palm cupping Tammy Thompson’s jaw and butterflies swirling in her stomach. They break up for a bit, looking into each other’s dazed eyes with both relief and excitement gleaming in them. Tammy’s nose bumps against her’s. “Your hair smells nice.” 

_ Fuck,  _ Robin thinks as she ducks her head to kiss her again,  _ I’ve got to thank Harrington.  _

**Author's Note:**

> You should follow me on tumblr >> BuckleysBitch to send prompts and get updates about new fics and updates. Part two coming soon!


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